97.9 WJBQ

Description by Steve Bleecker: Harry Nelson had recently come from KFRC, and I got the call to “get my ass” (his words) to JBQ to do mornings! Almost as soon as I arrived… he left for Fargo, N.D. and JBQ’s FORMER PD, Brian Phoenix was called back to JBQ, to resume as PD! In between Nelson and Phoenix – we all had the best fun! The fun stopped as soon as Phoenix got back – he ‘let me go’ in early Jan ’84, and it wasn’t pretty! I was on a medical leave of absence – hepatitis – when he came to my apt. – to fire me – as I was so sick, already! That’s when I got completely out of radio! Curator’s Notes: Radio is often a cruel business and while one programmer may love what a particular jock brings to...

Here’s an FM station that sounded lots like an AM station in the respect that the format could have been heard on AM and nobody would have known the difference. Now, I woulda thought this aircheck would just fly right along, but it’s what I would term rather bland. There’s not one jingle. Not much in the way of excitement. The format is executed fine, there’s just something missing here. Actually, this sounds very much like WRKO. Same hits, same basic approach that RKO was using toward the end of their top 40 days. What this isn’t, is the powerhouse “98 JBQ” screamer I remember hearing on tropo skip from the 80s. Perhaps one of our listeners can fill in the blanks. What did WJBQ evolve FROM? This is nice, but in your webmaster’s opinion, not ...

So you think the smaller markets sounded quaint? Even in 1983, some of the hottest jocks in radio could be heard in tiny markets… Portland Maine is no exception. WJBQ was a flame-throwin’ Top 40 outlet for many years, and the talent that walked through those hallowed portals, well, you can imagine, given the talent of Bill Lenke (Lee). After a stint in Hartford at WTIC-FM and then San Francisco at KFRC, PD Harry Nelson brought the master rhymer up to Portland to liven up an already electric airstaff. And listen to the results! This is incredibly HIGH-ENERGY CHR, like you’d expect from Bill Lee!

Hellooooo, Maine! We’re probably talking to more moose (or is it Meeces?) than people but hey you guys had some great radio too! Harry Nelson. A guy with more frequent flier miles than most flying back and forth…. lets see, programming WRKO, then out west to KFRC, then back east to Portland, to turn 98 JBQ into a memorable monster! Here’s Harry shortly after he took over from former PD Brian Phoenix, who left for a programming gig in Clearwater, Florida. You’ll love the west coast style presentation and Harry Nelson’s one liners – aww he’s got a million of em… It’s tight, all the elements are there, and so’s the variety (not diversity) of hit music – JBQ plays all the hits, literally. Our contributor, Paul Connors, says this...

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